Name: Chasteberry (Vitex)
Latin Name: Vitex Rotundifolia
Pin Yin: Man Jing Zi
Location: Mediterranean countries and Central Asia

History: Chasteberry has been used since ancient times as a female remedy. One of its properties was to reduce sexual desire, and it is recorded that Roman wives whose husbands were abroad with the legions spread the aromatic leaves on their couches for this purpose. It became known as the chasteberry tree.

During the Middle Ages, Chasteberry's supposed effect on sexual desire led to it becoming a food spice at monasteries, where it was called "Monk's pepper" or "Cloister pepper."

In tradition, it was also known as an important European remedy for controlling and regulating the female reproductive system. Long used to regularize monthly periods and treat amenorrhea and dysmenorrhea, it also helped ease menopausal problems and aided the birth process.

Recent investigations show the presence of compounds that are able to adjust the production of female hormones. It is thought to contain a progesterone-like compound and is now thought to be useful in the following conditions: Amenorrhea, Dysmenorrhea, PMS, Endometriosis. A German study has found that extracts of this herb can stimulate the release of Leutenizing Hormone (LH) and inhibit the release of Follicle Stimulating Hormone (FSH). This herb was also found to be useful as an aid in Premenstrual Tension. A work done in England has shown that 60% of women who participated in a study reported reduction or elimination of PMS symptoms such as anxiety, nervous tension, insomnia, or mood changes. The herb was also found to help with the premenstrual water retention.

Primary Uses:

• Relieves wind heat, clears heat from the liver channel.
• The Chinese variety is particularly useful for headache, dizziness, eye pain, and muscular aches and pains.
• The Western variety has a somewhat different usage-as a female hormonal regulator.

Parts Used: Fruit

Safety: Vitex should be used with caution by those who are weak or anemic. Side effects of using vitex are rare. Minor gastrointestinal upset and a mild skin rash with itching have been reported in less than 2% of the women monitored while taking vitex. Vitex is not recommended for use during pregnancy.

Supporting Research:

• The aim of study presented here was to gather the data about the tolerability and efficacy of Vitex agnus castus (VACS) extract. The study was designed as double-blind, placebo controlled in two parallel groups (each 50 patients). Treatment phase lasted 3 consequent menstrual cycles (2 x 30 drops/day = 1.8 ml of VASC) or placebo. Mastalgia during at least 5 days of the cycle before the treatment was the strict inclusion condition. For assessment of the efficacy visual analogue scale was used. Altogether 97 patients were included into the statistical analysis (VACS: n = 48, placebo: n = 49). Intensity of breast pain diminished quicker with VACS group. The tolerability was satisfactory. We found VACS to be useful in the treatment of cyclical breast pain in women.¹
• These observations suggest that Vitex negundo possesses analgesic activity that appears to be due to prostaglandin inhibition and reduction of oxidative stress. Since, naloxone did not reverse the analgesia induced by test drug, it indicates that central analgesic action is not mediated through opioid receptors.²
• The extract of Viticis Fructus appeared to have an analgesic effect, and was subjected to activity-guided separation using acetic acid-induced writhing in mice. The active fraction gave new compounds, vitexfolin A (1A), B and C, 10-O-vanilloylaucubin (3), dihydrodehydrodiconiferylalcohol-beta-D- (2'-O-p-hydroxybenzoyl) glucoside (4), and vanilloyl-beta-D-(2'O-p-hydroxybenzoyl)glucoside, together with agnuside (2) and erythro- and threoguaiacylglycerols. Compounds 1A and 2-4 showed significant writhing inhibition following oral administration at doses of 15, 50, 25, and 50 mg/kg, respectively. The effect on pressure pain threshold was tested using compounds 1A and 2 at a dose of 50 mg/kg, and only the former produced the analgesia. The analgesic effect of some related iridoid glucosides is also discussed.³

¹Halaska M, Raus K, Beles P, Martan A, Paithner KG., [Treatment of cyclical mastodynia using an extract of Vitex agnus castus: results of a double-blind comparison with a placebo], Ceska Gynekol. 1998 Oct;63(5):388-92.

²XXXV Annual Conference of the Indian Pharmacological Society Gwalior Gwalior, , November 26-29, 2002, Abstracts of Resear Research ch Papers (Part-V VI).

³Okuyama E, Fujimori S, Yamazaki M, Deyama T., Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chiba University, Japan., [Pharmacologically active components of viticis fructus (Vitex rotundifolia). II. The components having analgesic effects.], Chem Pharm Bull (Tokyo). 1998 Apr;46(4):655-62.